"Our creative process revolves around very late night conversations with my husband: our master distiller, and my partner in the business and life.I would be very curious to see the creative process of some of the much larger liquor companies.I doubt that they come up with their ideas in bed, late at night, with their spouse; though I could be wrong." - Sonat Birnecker Hart, Koval Distillery

"There is this thing I have to do before I can do anything. I have to clean the countertops, pick up the clutter and obliterate the piles to have a calm, orderly environment. Now my brain can be chaotic and run wild...Then I review my work, freak out, hate it, doubt it, most likely cry because I know it will bomb, and then sleep on it for a few days. Eventually, I pull myself up and realize that what I’ve created is really good. But I must freak out." - Jennie Bishop, Interior Designer

"Ideas sometimes pop into my head singly or in clusters so fast that I have difficulty recording them before they disappear into my subconscious." - Jordan Rotheiser, Industrial Designer + Mechanical Engineer

"I find (the creative process) is something that is obviously so crucial and yet also elusive and hard to define. In some ways, to me, it’s like describing how you eat, breathe, talk – it’s both universal and highly personal. Truthfully it’s also sometimes pretty pedestrian and mundane. It’s not always about an epiphany or ah-ha moment. It can be just about discipline and putting your head down and getting the work done – any work done." - Lisa Solomon, artist

"My best ideas and innovations come when I’m exposed to new environments. Whether I jump out of a cab to get on a bus I’ve never ridden, have the fortune to tour a manufacturing plant, or lurk through an estate sale inspecting a stranger’s day-to-day life, I see the world through a new lens and often make unexpected connections between what I am seeing for the first time and existing problems or circumstances in my life."- Caroline Lubbers, Goldfish Marketing and Whipped

"I would just make things - no one was watching - there was no judgement - no stopping me - and most importantly no right or no wrong - I just did stuff in a very laissez-faire, liberating way." - Karen Valentine, Roam & Home

"If I don’t think something is working within fifteen minutes, I move on, trying to remember what I tell my students: be self-critical – nothing is precious or special just because you work on it." - Brad Lynch, Brininstool + Lynch

“As long as I can remember, I aways looked at things differently. Imagined them being better." - Kevin Krueger, Multiple

"There is limitless inspiration directly outside my studio, and I'm continuously learning and working based on what I'm seeing...I'm always thinking about colors and textures, even when I walk to the pharmacy, so I definitely bring it all to the studio. But the creative process never really ends.” - Susan Hable, Hable Construction

"Songwriting is shameless. Your lyrics might sound weird to other people, but it isn’t their song. You wrote it! Be proud." - Zelda Zerkel-Morris, singer-songwriter

"I am happy with most of the work we produce, but if I was completely satisfied, I would probably have stopped pushing boundaries, which would most likely catapult me into boredom." - Nicole Jacek, NJ(LA)

"Creativity can hit at any time at all, one just has to be there to receive it when it does…There are times that I have a plan, and times where it is pure improvisation. Either way, for myself it is important to remain fluid during the process to reach the best result. " - Phillip Foss, El Ideas

"My favorite exchanges are those that arrive somewhere unexpected. When that happens in a design process driven by a methodology of talk-talk-talk, the resulting artifacts reveal a collage of the 'why not', the 'ah ha', and the 'oh my'." - Rick Valicenti, 3st

"When a problem or an interruption in the visual landscape grabs my attention I immediately start obsessing on how to heal or solve it. My process is one of iterating possible solutions or responses until there's a fit. I enjoy this. Usually I find a good path forward, but sometimes I do not right away and I turn things over in my head for months." - Maxwell Ryan, apartment therapy

"I usually am doing something boring, so to keep myself entertained I create something in my head (usually a creature) and play around with it." - Daniel Bergen, painter + lego builder

"Being an artist, is a life-long work in progress. There is always room to grow, to declare that something sucks and move on, and there are always people to learn from." - Jenna Park, Sweet Fine Day

"If this year has taught me anything, it's that the most meaningful lessons are learned when our greatest fears are surpassed by our deepest convictions. It's in those challenging moments, filled with hope, uncertainty, and cautious optimism, that we find real value." - Victor Saad, The Leap Year Project and Experience Institute

"When you create something, do you follow a linear path? Non-linear? Is it fluid and organic or planned out? Chaotic or organized? This is such a wonderful question. I have always espoused a radial notion of time and work. The universe expands outward. I can leave nothing behind. In my life all results are accumulative. All events are lessons. This could be a terrible burden, but also a great tool for technical reasons. It represents good design." - Ian Schneller, custom instrument maker

"I was earnestly in it. I was sincere. I’ve got so many friends that’ve called me and say, “Ed, your name is just goin’ uphill.” And I said, “Well let me tell you this: my name is the same as it ever was." - Ed Stilley, guitar maker

Keep an ongoing list of everything you want to get accomplished. But here is the Big Secret: Never finish the list. No matter what, always leave something needing to be done. This isn’t procrastination. It’s motivation. It’s planning. It’s purpose. It’s legacy." - Tim Hawley, photographer

"If you can be constantly inspired by yourself, then you will always have an idea" - Brooke Shaden, fine art photographer

"Everything I do remarks on the thoughtful consumption of color. In the juice I press and the cyanotypes I develop — Indigo, Cashew, Kale and Pineapple. I choose food photography and cyanotypes — they have tremendous traits in common. Time and temperature, preparation and sensitivity, and of course preparing a vision of the project's ultimate composition." - Gabrielle Kammerer, juicer & cyanotype artist

"Mostly, I try to have fun. Earlier in my career I took things very seriously. I worried about too many things that really didn't matter. I'd get kind of panicked and feel terrible at the start of a project. It took me a long time to realize how I do things. It’s my way of doing and seeing, and that is ok."- Alisa Wolfson, Design Director

"True creativity is something that comes from somewhere deeper than the thinking mind. It is where insight, deep connections and true authenticity comes from." - William Watt, photographer

"There's something deep in the limbic brain that says: in order to survive you must do something brilliant - or else. It's the 'or else, that's so fu&ing motivating." - Peter Himmelman, musician

"Failure is simply part of the process. No real innovation happens without failure. Failure is never the problem - it’s our fear in the face of failure that stands in the way of our full creative potential." - Kelly Leonard, The Second City"

"It's better to say something small and potent than something vast and vague. If you say the small things right, the big ideas will emerge." - Ellis Ludwig-Leone, composer

"I usually feel distinctly uncomfortable as if about to burst with emotion, even if it's a positive one." - Thea Goodman, writer

"Every day I have the potential to witness/participate in something amazing, beautiful, hilarious or magical, the only barrier is being present enough to see it." - Joe Plummer, director / producer

" Getting out and meeting other creatives, understanding how people think and how things works, motivates us to work harder and raises the quality of our art. " - Steve + Anne Truppe

"To be prolific as an artist, you must set aside sacred time everyday, where no one is allowed to interrupt." - Lora Robertson, photographer

"I feel like the best ideas come from conversations, files exchanges and being open to other people's perspectives." - Dawn Hancock, designer

"Your reputation comes from the investment you make in yourself, not from "fame". - Carlos Segura, designer

"Being out in the world and open to people, ideas and experiences; museums, concerts, countries, cities, towns, books, products, movies, food, fashion, culture is vital to me for staying inspired and relevant." - Jim Cohen, brand sherpa

"It’s harder to sustain your creativity than it is to work to get your creative break. Focus on only doing what counts to make or keep your creative break. Don’t let yourself become distracted." - Cee Lo Green, musician

"Making clothes is a painful process. Every snip of the scissors is painful. That's why I set myself limits." - Yoshi Yamamoto, fashion designer

"It’s always been in between the things I thought I was doing that the real work has happened." - William Kentridge, artist